Plugins are created to extend the functionality of our WordPress Websites by adding more features and stuff.
If you’re new to WordPress, you may not know or fully understand How to upload & Install a WordPress Plugin but all that is going to change if you don’t skip any detail in this article.
What are WordPress Plugins?
WordPress Plugins are executable files written in PHP which is the main WordPress Core Software’s Script.
As plugins extend the functionality of your WordPress Website, they can also bring about their downfall if you don’t update them or you get them from illegitimate sources.
If this isn’t your first time on my website, you may have read my article Can WordPress Plugins Contain Viruses? In that article, we established that they can and how you can fix it.
Where Can you Get WordPress Plugins?
For Starters, the WordPress Repository is the best source of free and freemium WordPress Plugins. By Freemium, I mean Free to an extent and premium to unlock more features.
I consider the Plugins available in the WordPress Repository basic and that’s why I use Premium Plugins from Themeforest and Codecanyon.
On these two platforms, you only pay a one-time Regular License fee and you’ll get the plugin (& themes if you like) forever even with updates.
I get a couple of my site’s plugins from Themeforest because they scan the plugin files regularly and make sure that they’re 100% free from viruses and Malware.
You can’t trust the WordPress Repository 100% because they only check a plugin once it’s uploaded and never does so again when it’s updated, this is because there are over 60,000 Plugins there.
For all I know, there may be plugins infested with Malware present in the WordPress Repository.
How to Upload and Install a WordPress Plugin
Let’s now go over the steps you need to take to upload and install a WordPress Plugin easily.
#1: Log in to your WordPress Dashboard, add /wp-admin to your website’s URL, and hit enter.
#2: Scroll Down and hover on Plugins from the left navigation panel, then click on Add New.
#3: Once the Next Page is fully loaded, Click on the Upload Plugin Button and then ‘drag and drop’ the plugin’s zip or use your file manager to find the zip file.
#4: Once the file is selected and the name is displayed on the Upload Plugins page, click on Install Now.
#5: Wait for the Plugin’s files to be imported and installed, this may take longer depending on how fast your Web Hosting Server is as well as the plugin’s file size.
If the Add New Plugin page appears unresponsive, just wait for a few minutes and the plugin should be installed.
However, if your current Web Hosting Company is too slow that installing plugins, and themes or importing demo content takes a lot of time or doesn’t complete at all, you should consider switching to Hostinger or Bluehost, they are 2 of the very best and fastest.
Final Thoughts
From this article, you must have learned how easy it is to upload a plugin to your WordPress Website fast and easily.
You must remember that you shouldn’t download WordPress Plugins and Themes from illegitimate sources, if you want to understand why then check out my article on Reasons why you should avoid nulled WordPress Plugins and themes.
If you’ve got any questions on uploading and installing WordPress plugins you can ask me in the comments as well as share your thoughts.
